Scars
by talkswithherhands
Summary: Aftermath of the summer finale of Season 2. SPOILERS AHEAD! Rizzles. dont like? dont read! full summary inside. please be kind and remember to FEED THE BARD reviews!


**Title: **_Scars_

**Author: **Lj Bard

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, therefore I earn nothing… enjoy and don't sue!

**Summary:** Rizzles. One-shot fluff piece to follow the season 2 summer finale; WARNING: Spoiler Alert!

**Reviews:** Yes, please!

**A/N:** It's been a long time but I think that my muse finally had enough and broke free when I finally saw Hoyt go down! Please remember if you have yet to see the summer finale and you don't want to be spoiled, save this for later. If not… please be kind and leave a review! The Bard is Back!

**Dedication: **To my lovely heroes, Adm_Hawthorne and RizzoliQuotes... you both rock my world!

-x-

_Jane's POV_

"_Maura!_ Hoyt don't you _dare_ touch her!" I shouted, swearing that my heart had stopped beating the moment I watched that bastard take the taser to Maura's neck and I watched the beautiful Medical Examiner lean back in shock from the volts entering her body through her neck as Hoyt leaned over her. And despite the fact that there was yet another apprentice holding me down, something inside of me snapped.

Hoyt had hurt her. He had hurt Maura. My best friend and the one person I would have given anything to never expose to that monster who was now making an incision upon Maura's porcelain throat as she lie there helplessly paralyzed from the shock of the taser weapon and the mere shock of everything that was happening. I watched the cold metal slowly trace her throat and saw the blood begin to spill from her body and in a single moment, I caught the glimpse of her tear-soaked hazel irises and knew that she could feel the pain despite the numb state her body was in.

I knew that she was terrified, _I _was terrified and yet a strange sense of calm seemed to draw a curtain over her eyes and it scared me even more than watching the torture and that is when I felt myself snap.

"_NO!_" I heard, rather than felt myself shout out in agony as I fought against the hold that the apprentice had on my wrists and I struggled to grab hold of the taser as I managed to break his nose with my elbow and finally put him into submission with a blast from the weapon, he crumpled to the floor, useless. I whipped around in time to see Hoyt lunge at me with the scalpel and as we fought, my entire vision was clouded in nothing but Maura.

_Please be safe… please don't be dead, don't let her be dead… it is my fault if she dies… please God…_ and a sickening laugh as Hoyt managed to dominate me long enough to slice at my throat and I whimpered in fear of the past images that flooded my mind of when I was taken hostage by Hoyt and scalpels were put through my hands.

Eventually I managed to make my way on top of him, struggling with the scalpel and I held nothing back as I shouted in victory…

"_I win! And you can go to Hell!_" And just like that, I took a small moment of pleasure digging the blade into his chest cavity as far as I could shove it into his flesh. My heart rate came back down to a normal pulse as I fought for air and as I managed to pull myself up somehow, with the aid of Korsak, I tried to turn to find Maura only to find myself emotionally collapsing into my former partner's arms; a bloody, sweaty, crying mess.

As he finally released me I focused in on the M.E. being carefully examined by Frost and another medic for the incision on her throat. Her eyes were glazed over, as if she were still fighting some nightmare and I knew that look… it was all too familiar and it scared me to death to think that Hoyt had managed to do the one thing that I had hoped to never have to deal with; he had put the same terror from my heart into Maura's and now she was going to suffer just like I had after my first encounter with that sick bastard. I only stole a momentary glance behind me to ensure that Hoyt was really gone as they sealed the body bag, before I made my way to Maura.

She didn't look my way, she kept staring off into the bleak hospital walls, I reached for her hand and almost instantly her eyes began to clear and the old shine returned to them which I later learned were actually tears as she looked down at our joined hands.

Slowly, she interlaced our fingers and squeezed and looked back up at me, lost as I'd ever seen the brilliant woman before me. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to speak, but no words came, I didn't expect them to. I hated myself for letting Hoyt get to her like this and it only made me sicker to my stomach to think that even dead, he was still a terror, to the both of us now. I wanted nothing more in that moment than for the world around us to disappear and to take Maura in my arms and hold her, comfort her, make her feel safe again…

-x-

_Maura's POV_

I winced when I felt a hand on my shoulder, but relaxed once again as I remembered that it could only be one person…

The party had finally died down shortly after Frost and Frankie fell into the cake after one-too-many celebratory drinks. Jane sat down beside me and I smiled as she tossed one of the horse balloons into the air with a small smile and for a moment I felt at peace. I felt as though it was just another day on the job and that nothing had gone wrong.

But that was furthest from the truth, the bandages that lined Jane's forehead and neck were solid proof, as was the twin scar that now lined along the upper left clavicle of my throat. Jane looked at me and the smile slowly faded from her face and I realized why as she reached up and placed her hand over my own as I fumbled with the bandage on my neck.

"Does it still sting?" she asked, quietly. Almost too quiet, as though her voice would break the spell that maybe this had all just been a very bad dream. But I rationalized that no dreams were ever this lucid… oh I should have just kept that sleep monitor.

"Not really, mostly only when I think of it," I replied, letting my hand fall but keeping Jane's in my own, I began to idly play with her fingers. A slightly comfortable silence ensued between us and I examined the scars on Jane's palm, tracing the outline with my index finger until something wet landed on my knuckle and I froze.

My head snapped up, I could have sworn I felt one of my stitches tear as I looked into Jane's face and saw a head of dark curls bowed forward, the slight tremble of her shoulders were the only indication that Jane was indeed, crying.

This was not something I was used to… in fact no matter how hard a case had been before, even when Hoyt had escaped custody a couple years back, Jane had never once cried in front of me before. I felt my heart break for my best friend as I swallowed the lump in my throat and blinked away the tears that threatened to build in my own eyes as I lifted my hand to touch Jane's face behind her curtain of hair and lift her chin so her eyes could meet mine.

Her eyes, those beautiful brown orbs that had haunted my dreams for over a year now. They were red and puffy with tears that streaked down her highly-defined well-proportioned face.

"Oh, Jane," I sighed, voicing my heart's inhibitions as I pulled her into my arms and allowed her face to bury itself in the crook of my neck. I watched as those walls that Jane put up so many times before to defend herself from the tragedies and horrors she faces on a daily basis, the strength she carries for her mother going through a divorce, for her brother who only wants to be like his big sister, for her fear of her other brother who she constantly looks after to ensure that this time, he stays out of trouble…

"I'm so sorry, Maura, _I'm so sorry,_" she cried into my skin and I didn't even care if my blouse was to be stained by her tears, watching Jane fall apart like this, in this state of vulnerability that she has never allowed anyone else to see, is the most beautiful gift she could ever have given me and I'd take this any day over Vera Wang.

"Don't apologize, Jane, please just… let it out, it's okay," I spoke gently, rubbing her back in between her shoulder blades that still struggled to remain vigilant like that of a rod being forced there to keep it straight.

"_No_ it isn't, Maura… how can you-" Jane sat up, wiping the tears and I saw the walls try to reconstruct again. "How can you say that after what he did? After what I led you to?"

"Stop it!" I burst out, struggling to rein in my emotions; I took a deep breath and looked at Jane with all seriousness. "Jane Angela Rizzoli… don't you _dare_ blame yourself – for what that monster did."

"Maura-"

"No, Jane, shush, it is my turn to speak…" I silenced her. "I have seen the despair, the sheer terror that Charles Hoyt has put into your subconscious, ever since I met you he was the only person in the world who I ever saw put fear into your eyes… and I hate him for that."

"I hate what he did to you, Jane… I hate everything about him, but he is gone. And he cannot hurt me... or you, any longer… so please, just – don't apologize, _you _are not the monster here."

"I may as well have led you to your deathbed, I should have insisted you not go with me-" Jane argued and I squeezed her hands almost painfully.

"You know very well, Jane that nothing short of you tossing me in a jail cell would have stopped me from being there for you… I knew – I knew you wouldn't rest until you found out the truth behind more of Hoyt's work… but I also know you well enough that you cannot do everything on your own, despite that you act tough and try to take the world on your shoulders… you have to stop pushing me away, Jane… I'm here – I've been here all along!"

Jane's eyebrows knitted together in confusion and I saw no other motive of making myself any clearer. I released Jane's hands and cradled her face, wiping a stray tear with my thumb.

"I love you," I admitted. Jane's eyes took a moment before widening like saucers as realization struck and I shook my head.

"I love you, Jane… the entire time while we were stuck with Hoyt, all I could think about was you... to the point where I made a bargain with God that if I managed to get out of that situation alive, I was never going to lie to myself again, that I would tell you how I felt… and that is how I feel, Jane… I simply love you, all of you. From your scars to mine, your demons, your nightmares… your joys, your sarcasm, on occasion, the way you can never wear a matching outfit, I love everything about you, and please if you can just hear me out I promise I won't let this come between us-"

"Maura!" Jane repeated. I jumped when I realized how close Jane now was.

"Yes, Jane?" I asked, breathlessly.

"Shut up." And without being able to properly ask her why she was shushing me, I felt the most magical pair of lips caress my own and my eyes closed at the simple magic of the moment.

_Jane's POV_

Did I really just hear her right?

… _I love you…_

…_I love you, Jane…_

…_I simply love you…_

"Maura…" I watched as the Doctor rambled on, almost as if she could not hear me. "Maura-" again, nothing as she continued her proclamation, while although very sweet, was growing to be long-winded when all I wanted was… "Maura!"

"Yes, Jane?" she even sounded longwinded. But damn she was beautiful.

"Shut up," I shook my head with a smile and closed the distance between our lips before she could go on. I felt her response immediately as her arms came around my neck, carefully avoiding the bandage where we both shared equal scars.

I leaned forward further and soon found myself in the groove between Maura's legs, the two of us in a full-blown heated make out session that I could hardly believe was even happening. Happy Birthday to me!

"Jane… your bandage-" Maura fingered the new scar as the bandage had fallen off. And gently, I released one hand from behind Maura's head to tug at the bandage on her own neck and with tears beginning to sting my eyes, I fought for control of them as I leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the scar that now scathed her beautiful neckline.

"Jane…"

"I love you, too, Maura," I breathed, nuzzling the shell of her ear, trying to let my tears give way before I could face her again. "Somehow I feel as though I always have… it just took me forever to realize," I spoke again, looking directly into her eyes. Maura's hand lifted once again from my scar to my cheek, cupping it affectionately.

"Then love all of me, Jane, scars and all, as I do you," Maura's eyes spoke volumes as she leaned up and traced my scar with her lips, ghosting a kiss over the wound, somehow managing to make me feel whole again, if only for these moments.

Guess this day turned out to be much better than I ever expected…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Yayyy, my first piece in months! so happy to have finally managed to break the writers block... hope you all enjoyed, sorry i was very tired when writing this so there may be a couple errors here and there, or it may seemed rushed but regardless, tell me what you thought in a review! FEED THE BARD! :)


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